The present invention relates in general to an apparatus and the relative method for the remote control of lighting apparatuses, in particular emergency lighting apparatuses.
More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus which uses components (diodes, LEDs, displays, cameras and light sensors) integrated in smartphones for communicating (interrogating and/or programming) with the lighting apparatus, and in particular an emergency lighting apparatus, and, further, for managing a maintenance logbook of systems on “cloud” technology in respect of the technical rules and the applicable provisions of the law; in this way it is possible to carry out an immediate and detailed diagnosis of any fault in the apparatus and immediately and automatically send a request for a maintenance intervention and/or exchange parts.
The technical solution of the invention provides for the emergency lighting apparatus to be provided with a suitable light sensor, an internal decoding circuit and an optical manifold for directing so that it can be controlled by means of an appropriately regulated and constituted luminous signal coming from a smartphone, which in turn is controlled, in some functions, by a special application program.
The emergency lighting apparatus further integrates an LED module subject to the control of a logical circuit so as to generate digital optical signals directed towards a receiver apparatus and captured thereby by means of the optical devices integrated therein.
With the aim of interpreting the potentialities of the invention presented herein in relation to the emergency lighting apparatus, it is stressed that these devices are intended for the safety of persons and are indispensable for regulating the exit thereof from places in cases of emergency situations and danger caused, among other things, by the failure of the usual lighting system.
The proper state of serviceability thereof is therefore a critical element which must be ensured by regular periodic maintenance and also by periodic checks which allow keeping the overall status under control.
For this purpose, over time automatic systems have been developed that are able to carry out the tests according to predetermined schedules following commands set up by centralised and remote control points.
However, there are frequently situations in which the systems are made, for various reasons, with traditional emergency lighting apparatuses, i.e. without self-diagnosis instruments, and in which the checking of the functionality thereof, and therefore the safety of the systems, is carried out manually by the person responsible for the system or a person appointed thereby.
The tests for checking the functioning of the emergency lighting apparatuses of the self-powered sort, i.e. with an incorporated on-board battery, are generally performed with the following procedures:                a test carried out using a button external to the apparatus; this test includes inserting a test button (NC) on the power supply line of the apparatus, so as to forcedly cause a network failure and consequent switching-on of the apparatus;        a test carried out with a button on board the product; the button is positioned on the body of the apparatus, sometimes below a protective cap, and the operator has to activate it directly or, if possible, with the aid of an actuator such as a shaft;        a test carried out using a “REED” electromagnetic command; the test is carried out by activating an electromagnetic button positioned inside the product, in proximity of the external surfaces of the casing, and, as in the preceding case, is directly actuated;        a test carried out by radio command; in this case, a radio signal is sent to the apparatus using a remote control and since the apparatus is provided with a special decoding and actuating circuit, it carries out the command to execute the test;        a test carried out using an infrared command device; the functioning is similar to the case of control with a radio command.        
However, all the procedures described to this point are still impractical and/or expensive, as the tests are manually carried out and the execution times are significant; further, they require specific system parts for performing the simple test function, as well as the skill of specialised operators for carrying out the tests, and, in a case of a test being carried out on apparatuses with local diagnosis, for understanding the significance of the visual signals of the test results sent by the apparatus (typically by means of coloured LEDs).
Furthermore, the test procedures described above do not include the possibility of making information on the apparatus status available to the user.